Over the past year or more Kino Lorber Studio Classics has released several sets of both French and "Brit" Noir, providing classic film viewers with interesting films which many of us in the U.S. are watching for the first time.
As mentioned
yesterday, French Noir III is
coming soon, and since July Kino Lorber has released Volumes
III and
IV of Brit Noir.
As I continue to enjoy digging into these films, I've now watched THE TECKMAN MYSTERY (1954), which is part of Brit Noir Collection IV.
Echoing
LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945), which finds Gene Tierney recognizing Cornel Wilde as the author of the book she's been reading on a train, THE TECKMAN MYSTERY begins with Margaret Leighton realizing that her seatmate on a plane, Philip Chance (John Justin), is the author of her current read.
THE TECKMAN MYSTERY goes one step past that in coincidences; it turns out that Leighton's character, Helen Teckman, is the sister of Chance's next writing subject. Is their meeting "chance," to use a play on the hero's name, or perhaps not?
Chance tells Helen that his publisher wants him to write a biography of Martin Teckman, a recently deceased test pilot, as the previously assigned writer has been hit by a car and seriously injured.
Chance arrives home from his flight to discover his flat has been ransacked, and shortly thereafter the body of a man (George Coulouris) he's interviewed for the new book turns up in his apartment as well.
Things become increasingly concerning and strange, but fortunately Scotland Yard is on the case, in the form of Roland Culver and Duncan Lamont.
Meanwhile Chance begins to develop a romance with Helen...but should he?
Though perhaps overloaded with initial coincidences, the script by Francis Durbridge and James Matthews starts out in intriguing fashion, as Chance continues to be confronted with perplexing situations.
I did think the film went on too long at 90 minutes, but I enjoyed the police procedural aspects -- Culver and Lamont were my favorite characters -- as well as the London locations. A climactic sequence was filmed at the
Tower of London, which, having been there, I found great fun.
At times the movie is reminiscent of Hitchcock, to the point where my husband, near movie's end, inquired if Bernard Herrmann had scored it. (The composer was Clifton Parker.) And indeed, the climax seems to echo Hitchcock's FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940) and SABOTEUR (1942), while anticipating his VERTIGO (1958).
Drawing these types of connections with other films is part of the pleasure for me, even if the movie was a bit too lethargic.
The cast is good, particularly the previously mentioned Culver and Lamont, and I enjoyed seeing Margaret Leighton (THE HOLLY AND THE IVY) in a new-to-me film.
Justin's Chance seems curiously unbothered by the odd situations in which he finds himself, in a dashing "minor Cary Grant" sort of way which is interesting in itself.
It's of note that the movie was directed by a woman, Wendy Toye. The cinematographer was Jack Hildyard.
The good-looking, crisp black and white print is from a 4K restoration. Sound quality is solid as well.
Extras consist of a commentary track by Daniel Kremer plus a gallery of five trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.
Previous reviews from Volumes I and II include CAGE OF GOLD (1950), THE LONG ARM (1956), and THE FRIGHTENED CITY (1961).
Look for additional reviews from all four sets here in the future!
Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.
2 Comments:
Roland Culver is a wonderful actor.
Ordered. But where is Louis Hayward when he's needed?
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